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9/08/2017

Wendell B: Captain of His SoulWendell Brown sits down with AVillage to talk about the power of music, legacy, and authenticity

By Mahalia CummingsWhen I pick up the phone on Wednesday afternoon, a deep baritone sounds through my speaker. Even though I had just recently become acquainted with Wendell’s music, the sound is familiar and comforting. It sounds like the voice of someone whose stories you want to listen to. It’s not a voice that’s lost on Wendell’s fans. They listen to his stories through his songs, and that voice seals the deal. Our conversation is rich and multi-layered: Wendell is not just a big voice. He is a force of positivity and uplifting honesty. His values connect deeply with his fans. “The biggest thing that my fans love about me and my music is I touch something in their life that has happened,” he says. “And they were able to say ‘wow, he is really speaking the truth on this.’ That’s what I carry. I carry truthfulness in my lyrics.”

Wendell B. is a self-actualized and skilled musician. He was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, gleaning inspiration from his uncles who were in a gospel group. At one time he found himself mimicking them, inspired by how each of them could show their own identity through music. But he found his own sound.

As far as what he hopes to bring to the people who attend Mississippi Day? The answer is within what is arguably his biggest hit: "Mississippi Girl". If Oprah’s standards are anything to judge by (and they most definitely are) the song has definitely made its mark. Wendell tells me that Ms. Winfrey herself has downloaded it. But the song’s meaning is even bigger than that.

“...this song has had the strength of what Mississippi means in it. You can go all around the world. You can go to London, France, Detroit, Chicago, Italy. You can come all the way back and go to Alabama and bump into a Mississippi girl. The power of Mississippi is one of the reasons I wrote this song. Plus, my mama is a Mississippi girl. So what I bring to AVillage on this weekend is — I hope to let them know that the word Mississippi is where they come from, where their roots are from, and where their strength started from and to let them know that it’s one of the most wonderful words and states that the whole world knows about. And Wendell B is gonna bring it to you.” We can’t wait, Wendell.Wendell Brown is a musician who knows himself, knows the value of family, home, and the words that bring truth to his fans. Among those fans are true lovers of soul music. When I ask him if he’s faced any barriers in his career, his answer is this: “I’ve always been an artist that wanted to sing the good, heart-touching for-real music — which brought out a lot of haters.” But those haters could never outweigh people who know that he is the “truth”. He impresses upon me the significance of having accomplishments that no one can take away from you. Wendell has won at the Apollo three times. No one can claim that you aren’t doing something with evidence like that. Haters are like “premium gas,” he says. “More you hate on me, more I’m gonna go.”

And going he is. With his songs and unquestionable smooth and polished voice garnering a combined millions of views on YouTube, thousands of followers on social media, and earning him booked gigs all around the country, Wendell Brown is a force. He is a reminder of who we are when we accept our destiny within a tangible legacy of our family and our mentors. He is the amalgamation of those who came before him; he knows that he cannot discount any of his mentors when he declares who he is. Wendell, humble and grounded, says that he can’t completely divorce himself from his inspirations and mentors. After all, why wouldn’t he want to be compared to the “heavyweights” as he calls the likes of Luther Vandross and Freddie Jackson? “I’ve always mixed Wendell up with it,” he says, making it clear that the distinction with his voice and music is a purposeful reflection of his own unique talent. A talent that has been brought to light partly due to his independence as an artist.

Wendell takes great pride in being the CEO of his own music label, Smoothaway Music. When asked what this level of entrepeneurship means to him, his answer is passionate and insightful. He cites creative control as one of the most important aspects of being on his own label. He believes in owning your legacy, which happens to fits perfectly with the theme of Mississippi Day. Wendell tells me what independence means to him: “No one telling you how to be you. Taking all of the moldings that mom and dad and uncles and aunties and grandmamas and granddaddies have given you and those that you respect in a wise manner that gave good information and set you up for life - now it means allowing you to use what you got.” He is earnest in his intention to not only make his family proud, but to be true to himself and have true autonomy: a rare feat in the music business. What the “major” labels claim to know, Wendell already has a handle on. He admits that their expertise in certain areas is valid, but he knows what the “people want to feel”. He taps into the feelings of the people around him and is in touch with them in a way huge labels couldn’t be. Wendell Brown knows the value of not only learning from mentors and family, but taking those lessons and applying them to real life. To Wendell, that wouldn’t be possible without independence.

He is earnest in his intention to not only make his family proud, but to be true to himself and have true autonomy: a rare feat in the music business. What the “major” labels claim to know, Wendell already has a handle on. He admits that their expertise in certain areas is valid, but he knows what the “people want to feel”. He taps into the feelings of the people around him and is in touch with them in a way huge labels couldn’t be. Wendell knows the value of taking what you’ve learned and using it. Wendell Brown knows the value of not only learning from mentors and family, but taking those lessons and applying them to real life. To Wendell, that wouldn’t be possible without independence.

As we talk about my namesake, he names Mahalia Jackson for what she was: soulful. His appreciation of gospel was not only linked to his childhood, but connected to what he seems to most appreciate about music: healing. He speaks about what music can do with such conviction that it feels as if he’s opening his own sermon. “Music has always been one of those things in the background. Everybody got a song that fit how they feel. “ He laughs. “And so that song is a stress reliever, that song is a mind regulator, that song is a feeling. That song is motivation. So, music is healing. Telling the truth about it is a feeling and a healing. It’s all about healing the heart through true, good music for me.”

This isn’t surprising, because Wendell is so very passionate about the good music that he taps into. He is both humble and self-aware: he knows he has made an impact by striking out and being part of the movement in bringing soul and blues back to R&B. Wendell sees music as a way to put “a smile on people’s faces”. The joy he brings forth was infectious as I combed through comments and lyric breakdowns the night before the interview.

He has performed in shows with Freddie Jackson, met the great Luther Vandross, and anyone can see why he looks up to them with such reverence. It has been said that Wendell cultivates the “blues” in R&B. There is a soul, musically and spiritually, that he brings to his music that sets him apart in a truly distinctive way. He is layered and dynamic, drawing inspiration from his mentors. Wendell has also learned a lot from his hometown. St. Louis ingrained in him a preparedness that virtually nothing else could. He says that St. Louis is a town in which when you have a talent, you have to fight to get noticed. Growing up in St. Louis toughened Wendell. It made anything else he came up against pale in comparison.

“It really grounded me to be a go-getter, that’s what I would say overall.” What he loves about the South in general is the hospitality. “We all can come together and speak to each other and acknowledge each other. That’s important to me.” All of this has combined to make him the formidable artist he is: well-rounded, with a deep understanding of the people around him. He carves out his own path in a way that can only be attributed to a good upbringing and that homegrown awareness of who he is.

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About AVillage

AVillage...Inc., is a grassroots nonprofit organization helping to develop the South End of Albany, NY. Since it was found in August 2009, AVillage members have been working hard to create new programs and hopes in the South End and beyond.

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for residents of the South End and beyond, by reclaiming our neighborhoods, by encouraging, engaging, and empowering our communities.